Wow. Not sure which is more hardcore -- this, or the guy who built a complete programmable replica of the Apollo guidance computer using only the original manuals: http://klabs.org/history/build_agc/
I read about this a month or two ago. Watched the video, read the whole paper, it's awesome. A great way to demonstrate that computers are really just machines and not magical at all.
You could do this with a CS background, I think. Relays are very simple to understand. If current is flowing from A to B, then current can flow from C to D. Otherwise, it can flow from C to E. They way they work (conceptually; I've never taken one apart) is that running current from A to B powers an electromagnet. There's a wire tied to C and the other end is pressed against E by a spring. The electromagnet pulls on the spring and moves the wire from E to D. They're just little mechanical if-then-else constructs.
If you run a wire from B to C and connect a battery to A and E, you'll get a nice buzzing sound as it oscillates between states.
Got to see a demo of this system in person, and it was truly spectacular. I learned more in 10 minutes watching this thing than I did reading multiple books.
(I took 'Compilers' from this guy, HIGHLY recommended to anyone who happens to be at portland state.)
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[ 2.3 ms ] story [ 53.6 ms ] threadIf you run a wire from B to C and connect a battery to A and E, you'll get a nice buzzing sound as it oscillates between states.